5 New Reasons Why Los Angeles Parking Sucks

5 New Reasons Why Los Angeles Parking Sucks

5 New Reasons Why Los Angeles Parking Sucks

Being a Los Angeles based startup in the parking industry, the first thing that we want to do is vent our road rage! That’s why for our first post we’ve compiled a list of 5 awful things about parking in LA. Over the course of the summer, we will be taking an in depth look at these issues in greater detail, as well as the issues that bother you the most. The goal is to find practical solutions that culminate in the form of a petition that demands our elected officials take action! We’d love for you to be a part of the discussion, so please use the comments section to voice your opinion and tell us what makes your blood boil! Use @gravelparking and #parkingsucks to keep it going on social media!

1. The cost of parking tickets…

The cost of tickets range from $68 (for the most common ticket of parking during street cleaning hours) to $378 for “Parking hazardous waste carrier in residential area”. We definitely don’t want our kids turning radioactive when they play in the street, but what about just a little dirt? While this isn’t too pricey, the frustration we have with these tickets is that the street cleaning crews don’t often clean, but drivers will still get penalized regardless. This leads to our next point…

2. Tickets for parking after street sweeper is finished cleaning…

If the area has been cleaned already, it is pretty f**cking obvious… Therefore, free up parking spaces as soon as street sweeping is done! Don’t be a dick and ticket my car. It’s that simple.

3. Ticket for parking at a broken meter…

One year this is legal, and the next it’s not. Currently this is legal but may soon expire and therefore consistency is needed. Perhaps a comprehensive state law can settle this once and for all? Also, if meters do break, then the city needs to fix them!

4. Valet Parking in metered spaces…

This may be one of the most frustrating issues in all of LA right now, parking related or not! Come dinner time in many major areas of LA, you can find higher end restaurants employing valet drivers that will charge $5­, $10, ­$15 to park your car. While they are supposed to park in private lots, they end up snagging all of the metered street parking that would cost you a few dollars. No wonder no one can find parking! And it doesn’t end there. NBC 4’s Joel Grover recently did a great investigative piece on this, but we’ll take an even more in depth look in the coming weeks….

5. Get out of jail free card via the “Gold Card Desk”…

If you haven’t heard of the this, then good for you for not being a politically connected a**hole. Basically if you’re the mayor or some other connected city official, you get access to a special fast track help desk that dismisses your parking ticket. They also have access to a special Chia plant shampoo that regrows all of the hair you pulled out when you got your ticket. Ok, so only one of those last two things is true… How about you tell me which one you think it is in the comments section below smarty pants?! #parkingsucks